MITRED SEAL. 205 



long when it reached France, and, on removing it 

 from the liquor in which it had been transported, it 

 appeared whitish, except on the back and legs, where 

 it was of a slate brown hue, with a whitish reflec- 

 tion produced by the points of the hairs, their base 

 being brown, as well as the wool which covers their 

 roots. After it was dry, its native oil gave it a de- 

 cided yellow tinge. Its nails are large and whit- 

 ish at the ends ; its whiskers fine, short, and sim- 

 ple. The osteology of the cranium is very different 

 from that of the Common Seal, as may be seen by 

 comparing the wood-cuts on pages 128 and 196. 

 Cuvier adds, " Upon the cranium and neck of this 

 animal there is a very singular structure, which 

 may explain what has been said concerning a kind 

 of hood which it erects and swells up at pleasure. 

 This structure is composed of numerous vessels, 

 forming a tolerably thick net-work, which may 

 contain a great quantity of blood, and which causes 

 the region of the neck, and all over the shoulders, 

 to appear more swollen than in most Seals. This 

 structure is more minutely referred to by De Blain- 

 ville in these words ' Mr Milbert sent to the Jar- 

 din des Plantes the skin of a Seal to which the head 

 was attached, and which presented a singular pecu- 

 liarity. Close to the occiput and the attachment 

 of the neck, the skin was separated from the adja- 

 cent flesh by a considerable mass of vessels, or, in 

 other words, by a sort of erectile tissue ; an appear- 

 ance which leads us to think that the skin in this 

 region was susceptible of reflection, and, conse- 



